Portage, Mich. (AP) – Kamala Harris He returned to Michigan on Saturday for a rally with the former first lady Michelle ObamaIt’s the latest in a series of high-profile additions by his campaign aimed at boosting voter turnout among Democratic Party loyalists.
After arriving in the battleground state, Harris visited a local doctor’s office in Portage to speak with health care providers and medical students about the impact of abortion restrictions. One of them said patients are visiting from other parts of the country where abortion is severely restricted, and another said he worries that people will not want to practice in important areas of medicine because of fears of government intrusion.
“We’re seeing a health crisis in America that affects people of every background and gender,” Harris told reporters before heading to the doctor’s office.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden visited a union hall in Pittsburgh to promote Harris’ support for organized labor, telling the audience to “follow your gut” and “do the right thing.”
Harris appeared with Beyoncé Friday in HoustonAnd he campaigned with former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen Thursday in Atlanta.
It’s celebrity influence that beats anything else Donald TrumpThe Republican nominee managed to marshal this year. But that’s no guarantee of helping Harris in a close race for the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump despite galvanizing her crowds with concerts and Democratic allies.
Trump shot down Harris’ attempt to use star power for his campaign.
The former president is at a dance party with Kamala Beyoncé on Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is scheduled to hold a rally in Novi, a suburb of Detroit, on Saturday before an event at State College, Pennsylvania.
Harris and Michelle Obama will be in Kalamazoo, in the southwestern part of the state. It was the former first lady’s first time on the track for Harris.
This is the first day of in-person voting across Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been submitted, representing 20% of registered voters.
When Clinton ran against Trump, Michelle Obama inspired Democrats with the slogan, “When they go low, we go high.”
But this year, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he accepted A more bite-sized approach. “He’s doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions,” Trump charged.
Biden traveled to Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon for a campaign event with the Workers’ International Union of North America.
He noted that Harris once picketed with the United Auto Workers — “she has a backbone like a ramrod” — while Trump has undermined organized labor.
“He thinks unions are an obstacle to the accumulation of wealth for individuals,” Biden said. Defeating Donald Trump is in the interest of labor, more so than any other race you’ve attended.
Biden’s comments to a largely male audience addressed the gender divide that has been a consistent feature of this year’s presidential race.
Things to know about 2024 elections
Speaking of Trump, Biden said, “I’m going to say straight up, he’s a loser.”
She also said that women deserve more opportunities than they have had in the past.
“They can do anything any man can do, including being president of the United States,” Biden said.
___
Madani reported from Pittsburgh and Megarian from Washington.
